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aftermath — but at the time it described the perpetrators (who were killed during their arrest) as “Russians from the radical right-wing group Restrukt.”
2.7 Nord Stream attack theories
New US intelligence suggests that “pro-Ukrainian” forces were responsible for the attack on the Nord Stream pipeline last September.
On September 26, two explosions on the Nord Stream pipeline system resulted in four large gas leaks in international waters near the Danish island of Bornholm. Although the pipelines were not in operation when the explosions occurred, they still contained natural gas, and the resulting leaks were responsible for the largest-ever single release of methane gas into the atmosphere. Of the four leaks, two were in Denmark’s exclusive economic zone and two in Sweden’s. By November, Swedish officials confirmed that the blasts were acts of deliberate sabotage. Swedish investigators found traces of explosives on several foreign objects at the sites of the explosions.
Although Russia and Western countries initially accused each other of perpetrating the attack, new US intelligence suggests that pro-Ukrainian forces are to blame. The New York Times cited anonymous sources who claim that “opponents of President Vladimir V. Putin” coordinated the attack, although there is no evidence to suggest that Ukrainian President Zelenskiy was involved. US officials have not drawn any “firm conclusions,” but believe that “the operation might have been conducted off the books by a proxy force with connections to the Ukrainian government or its security services.” German newspaper Die Zeit also reported that a yacht belonging to two Ukrainians was used to carry out the attack.
The explosions prevented Russia from earning millions in profit on natural gas sales, but also caused energy prices in western Europe to skyrocket, putting economic pressure on key Ukrainian allies. As the New York Times article points out, “Any findings that put blame on Kyiv or Ukrainian proxies could prompt a backlash in Europe and make it harder for the West to maintain a united front in support of Ukraine.”
In response to the article, the Ukrainian government denied responsibility for the attack. Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted, “Ukraine has nothing to do with the Baltic Sea mishap and has no information about ‘pro-Ukraine sabotage groups.’” Russian officials also disputed the new intelligence. “Clearly, the authors of the attack want to divert attention,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, calling the idea that Ukrainian forces were responsible “hard to believe.” American journalist Seymour Hersh suggested that American and Norwegian agents carried out the attack, an idea that the US called “pure fiction.”
28 RUSSIA Country Report Russia April 2023 www.intellinews.com